Thousands of firemen to parade in West Chester

Fame Fire Company #3 of West Chester, established February 22, 1838, commemorates its 175th Anniversary by hosting the 2013 Pennsylvania State Firemenís Convention & State Fire Parade. The parade and convention take place in a different location each year. This year, the parade will take place in West Chester Borough on Saturday, September 28 beginning around noon and proceed until about 3:30 p.m. This is the first time in history that the PA State Firemenís Convention & Parade will be held in Chester County.

Itís expected that more than 5,000 firemen from 300 fire units will participate in the parade, bringing apparatus from throughout the Commonwealth and neighboring states. There will also be numerous marching bands (local and state), marching units, floats, and much more. Itís estimated that anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 people will be lined up along the parade route to watch.

The parade route will run right through the West Chester business district, past where the old Fame firehouse once stood on E. Market St., down High St., past the Judging Area in front of West Chester Universityís Asplundh Hall, and finish where the Fame Fire Company currently resides at South Matlack Street and East Rosedale Avenue. Approximately 100 trophies will be awarded to in-state and out-of-state companies after the parade concludes. The Convention is a four-day affair that will run from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28. Some of the events are open to the public, but most are for firemen only.

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During the Convention, the Fameís ďHall of FameĒ Museum will be open for guests to browse through the 175 years of their history.

On Friday afternoon, the Good Will Fire Company will host an open house/vendor expo that is open to the public.

Parade Route

The parade route will start at West Market & North New streets. The parade will go against the normal flow of traffic and travel north on New St. to West Gay St., east on Gay St. to N. Walnut St., then south onto E. Market St. (past the site of the former fire station 1846 - 1974), then turning down S. High St. to E. Rosedale Ave., and ending at S. Matlack St. (site of the current fire station).

After the parade, trophies will be awarded at the West Chester Fire Training Center.

Road Closures

Due to the large number of fire apparatus, marching bands, and marching units in the parade, quite a bit of space will be required to stage everyone before the parade. On Saturday, September 28 between 6:30 a.m and 2 p.m., the following streets will be affected:

W. Market St between N. New St & Bradford Ave will be closed to traffic

Beginning at 11:30 a.m., traffic detours will begin to take place along the parade route, and trucks will begin moving to line up for the beginning of the parade.

After the parade, trophies will be awarded at the West Chester Fire Training Center and plans are in place to close

S. Matlack Street in West Goshen Township to vehicle traffic between Rosedale Ave. and the Rt. 202 bypass the day of the parade from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. leaving pedestrian/fire truck only access to Snyder Avenue for post parade activities.

More information can be found at www.famefireco.org.You can also follow Fame on Facebook (2013 FASP Convention)and Twitter (@Fame175th).